Compassion
by Winter Ashby
Summary: This is the end. Kagome held the completed Shikon no Tama in her hands, trying with all her might to convince herself that it was real. [Sesshoumaru & Kagome]ish. LAST BATTLE


**Title:** Compassion**  
Author:** Winter Ashby _(rosweldrmr)_**  
Disclaimer:** InuYasha © Rumiko Takahashi**  
Rating:** T  
**Time Line**: AU Final battle. Some elements of the Manga and Anime.  
**Summary: **This is the end. Kagome held the completed Shikon no Tama in her hands, trying with all her might to convince herself that it was real. [Sesshoumaru & Kagome]ish. LAST BATTLE  
**Authors Notes:** Sooooooo, I started this fic almost 7 years ago, maybe? I've come to the decision that I will not continue it beyond this oneshot. I'm sorry. I had this whole plot in my head about... well, I'll put the summary at the end, if you're interested. I hope you enjoy the ANGST.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stood, tall, proud, victorious, and coated in a thin film of blood from the broken body that lay at his half-brother's feet. There was an unsettling twinge at the base of his neck for one terrifying instant Sesshoumaru swore the hanyou's eyes flashed red.

The miko was at the end of a trail of his brother's tears. Her blood dotted the trees and smeared across the knee-high blades of grass. He was sure her vacant blue eyes would blink if he waited long enough – if it wasn't for the putrid smell of decay that spread from her torn limbs and outstretched hand. It was clear from the twisted expression on her stone face that the pain she endured was great. It hurt to look at her, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from her perfect pain or self-sacrificing stance.

The glassy blue eyes that wouldn't leave him were unnerving, and he wished she would close them. But the horrendous howl that slipped from his half brother's lips proved she would never do _anything_ ever again. The forgotten sword in the hanyou's hands flickered as if to transform, but instead it passed through InuYasha's shaking hands only to hit the ground and become a useless, rusted blade forever. Foolish boy and his worthless love for a human, he hated his brother then even more so than he had in all the years he'd been alive.

Sesshoumaru recalled the sight of _his_ child, lying broken and defeated on a deserted forest path. Her brown eyes were just as vacant and chilling as this girl's were now. He could still hear the plea that echoed through his mind in Rin's last pose. But that memory was irrelevant now, so he took this opportunity to gloat in his glorious victory over the most despicable creature that ever lived. _Naraku_. And in the solitary, secret confines of his mind he gave a passing message to the swirling wind.

_You are avenged._

He swore in that one moment of useless compassion he could smell dandelions on the wind and see the bloodied face of his departed admirer grin at him. But then he swished Tenseiga and growled deep in his throat and the image was gone. The smell of Naraku's blood on his blade was putrid and vile. It was only with a fully formed Meidou Zangetsuha that he had finally carried through the entire kicking and screaming body of Naraku to the underworld.

"Sesshoumaru..." it was his brother's voice that broke through his stride and panted his feet to the dampening ground. He imagined dark crimson spilling out and washing over him. He could feel his brother's plea and taste his tears. He hated him, and the weakness he inherited from their father in that instant because he knew what would come next.

"That is not something I can do, InuYasha." With all the grace befitting a great Taiyoukai lord, he sauntered a few more steps. "Take her body and bury her in her own time." He took one last warning glance over his shoulder before he could feel the sudden shift on the wind. It was angry now, flippant and vengeful. He sighed into the angry breeze and contemplated if his soul could stand to hate his father more than he allowed it now.

He knew it was no longer sufficient to hate him for the weakness that was innate in their bloodline. Because it was _his_ child that stood now, bare in her pain. "Sesshoumaru-sama." Her quilted grief made the cold heart in his chest beat just once before he stepped around her timid form.

"Please, Sesshoumaru!" InuYasha's gruff voice broke through his wall of impenetrable disinterest, because it was so close to breaking. He'd seen him like this before, he hated it then too. Because there was something that stirred in him then that made his hand twitch to draw the legacy of his father and the sword that had only recently learned to cut. "She doesn't deserve this." Tenseiga pulsed in his grip, and his hate for his departed father increased ten-fold.

"Sesshoumaru-sama." A tiny voice echoed through his mind. He could hear it, the pleading, the unasked question, the longing, and the power he held. It sickened him. It always had, why he had been cursed with the futile gift of compassion? He knew if he acquiesced, that one simple act would torture him for the rest of time. He hated him and _her_ because she didn't need to shield his idiot half-brother from the blast that tore her apart. But even more so, because she looked at _him_ as she lay, spurting blood and asking, _begging_ something that he couldn't decipher with her deep blue eyes.

He admired the miko's body then, for the courage it took to look so _defiant_ in her last moments. The heirloom at his hip throbbed, and he nearly jerked back in indignation. Sesshoumaru was a greatest Taiyoukai that ever lived. He was the accumulation of hundreds of years of superior breeding. He was the Lord of the Western lands, and would never presume to bend to the clearly useless nudge of his father's _gift_ to him.

The air was thick with a tangible kind of tension as reason dissolved until it was nothing more than a fleeting desire to be free of his burden. He knew it would be easy, one de-sheathing, and one downward swipe would be enough to erase that haunted look in their eyes. He'd already succumb to his child's insistent pleading to bring the boy youkai taiji-ya back from the dead. He hated all these self-sacrificing humans and their sanctimonious souls. He growled then, for good measure.

_Compassion_, what did he know of such a worthless human trait?

He turned from her mangled body and tried to remember what the miko had smelled like before. Unable to recall, he took a step closer, as if distance was the key to remembering. But the sword pulsed at his hip and radiated with a kind of power he was unused to feeling. It called for the spiritual powers of his brother's deceased miko. He paused and contemplated the meaning of this urge. But the pulsing was insistent and _strong_. What power did the ancient sword see in her?

He de-sheathed Tenseiga, and hated _himself _a little then, because it was only for him to know and _he would have an eternity to regret this one frightful decision_. But as his blade swung and the creatures dissolved into the black dimension between the living and dead worlds, there was one thought that rang through his pounding ears and weak heart.

_So would she_.

* * *

Kagome stood; trying with all the courage she had in her bruised body to deflect the constant onslaught of demons that threatened to overtake her. Small hands grip the hem of her skirt as she vaguely recalls a shaking, child's voice float in the distance. She is crying out for her surrogate father, _her_ demon, _her Sesshoumaru-sama_. Kagome is torn between the sudden urge to run from this fearsome battle, and aim her purifying arrows directly at the heart of their assailant.

_This is the end._

Kagome held the completed Shikon no Tama in her hands, trying with all her might to convince herself that it was real, and it was hers. She knew that it wasn't her wish to make, that it wasn't her choice. But she watched on while InuYasha bled and Sango stood over the battered, bruised, poisoned body of her beloved _Housh-sama._ While Kohaku-kun was by their side, weapon drawn and ready to defend his _Ane-ue_ with his newly begotten humanity.

She caught sight of a rush of silver and her heart skipped a beat. Two brothers stood, side by side, bickering to the end, loyal to the end. And it was the end; Naraku would die here, this night. She held the purified jewel to her heart, while possessively positioning herself between Rin and the battle. The bodies of Hakudoushi and Mouryoumaru were in pieces spread all across the field.

She could hardly believe they'd actually made it this far. They'd been collecting shards and hunting Naraku for years now, decades for others. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could still see silver hair blowing in the wind, and the cutest ears she'd ever seen. It was like a lifetime ago, though. And now she was _tired_ and sore all over. But as she looked to the proud, panting yourouzoku: Kouga of the Eastern Den; she could still feel her hands clutched in his.

* * *

"Kagome, you saved me." Kouga's hands were rough and yet so familiar. She leaned away, knowing the inevitable clawed hand that would swipe between them in only a moment. But while it lasted, she savored the shining glint in his eyes, because he could _feel_ InuYasha just behind him, ready to pounce. She shook her head and giggled lightly, because they really did love each other like brothers.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, wimpy wolf?" Sure enough, the wind blew past her as rough, strong hands were replaced by the comforting claws digging just slightly into her forearms. She shivered, just faintly – because he was strong and always protected her. But she frowned and glared up at his glistening silver locks and glowing yellow eyes and tried not to gasp. He really was adorable, especially with those ears…

"Be nice, InuYasha." Her warning was attached to the rise of her eye brows, and he recoiled just enough to let her know that he would behave, sort of. She looked over his shoulder at the flowing brown hair and Kouga's blue eyes. She really had come to care for him. "Kouga-kun, as long as your shards are controlled by Midoriko's will; you are going to be in danger."

"Keh." InuYasha's breath was hot on her neck and she pulled back to look into those blue eyes that betrayed all the bravado in his stride and courage in his heart. He was scared.

"Kagome, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." His voice was deep and distant, and past the cradle of InuYasha's arms, she could feel the mounting pressure of the looming final battle in the days to come. She nearly ripped free from InuYasha's hold to shake him until he finally admitted that he _needed_ them.

"Stop it!" Her voice was shrill and both youkai's eyes widened in surprise. She could see Kouga's lips begin to curl again and she did pull away then. And stepped into the slap that had been twitching in her fingers ever since she'd pulled his bleeding, poisoned, shivering body from the ground three days earlier. It echoed in the silence that followed as his cheek puckered under the pressure of her open palm against his skin.

"Kagome?" InuYasha's voice was soft, and terrified. She was sure he'd never seen her _this_ desperate before. But she knew something they didn't, Kouga would die, she could _feel_ it. And if she didn't stop it, then she would be a _murderer_.

"Osuwari!" InuYasha's face crushed into the earth, but Kouga didn't even seem to notice. She looked up at him, and the red handprint on his cheek. Her nose pricked and her eyes stung. The guilt rose like bile in her throat. "Kouga-kun…" the tears fell, and his eyes locked with hers. "Please, please don't do this. You can still use the Goraishi without the shards. You're strong enough, and fast enough without them! Please…" but her words tapered off as her face was pressed gently into his pelt.

Her body shook with the sobs of repressed fear in his arms and she only cried harder. She could feel his claws running through her hair, lulling her into a false kind of relief. She was sure InuYasha would have interfered by now, but there was no movement to tear her from his arms. She might have loved him more for that.

"I'm so sorry Kagome… I didn't know." His voice traveled past her ear on the warm breeze and she only cried harder. He would die if he didn't remove the shards. With Midoriko, Kikyou, Mouryoumaru, and Naraku after them – she was sure she'd lose him. But all he did was hold her until her tears dried in his pelt and she was left with a vacant feeling of distant doom that gripped like a vice on her heart.

"Kouga-kun, you'll die if you don't…" but the claws that pricked her arm now were much sharper, and suddenly her world was turned as she spun from one warm embrace to another. She knew those claws better, loved them more. And she was overwhelmed with the smell of bark and fresh grass after a rainstorm. She was home, and yet still so alone. And her heart _ached_ because she knew he would die.

She didn't dare look to see his retreating back and ponytail swaying in the wind with the setting sun casting shadows over his face. She couldn't bear to seem him walk away, head held high, like the hero she knew he was to a death that she knew was waiting. But there were no soft footfalls, or the rush of wind as he rushed to his demise; instead there was rustling, and tearing. There was flesh ripping and blood pooling. She turned from the red to face the _horrible_ sounds.

"Naraku's mine, dog-breath; just remember that." His blue eyes were soft and rounded in the corners. He smiled a sad, sick smile and relinquished his hold of the pure fragments and let them fall into the waiting pads of InuYasha's. Kagome was struck with such pang of guilt, she almost thrust the shards right back into his legs. But he had smiled, and she knew that returning them would be an offense to his pride. He _was_ strong and proud, and perfectly capable still.

"Keh. Like hell, you will!" InuYasha was gruff and callous as always. But she could _feel_ how his heart beat through his red hatori and she silently thanked his human blood for the compassion it carried.

"Arigatou, Kouga-kun." She breathed deep and took the shards and hid them deep in her grasp. It was still a mystery to her, how a demon could use the fragments of the Shikon no Tama, and still have them remain as pure as they started with. Not even InuYasha was able to control it when he'd used them with his Tetsusaiga. He nodded and turned away, but now she _could_ watch as he walked into the sunset like a fading hero. She knew she'd see him again, and she held tighter to InuYasha because he knew as well as she did that the end was coming fast.

* * *

It was amazing to think that so many youkai could join forces to defeat one enemy. But as she surveyed the damage, it seemed only right that this motley crew of rejects and outcasts would be the ones to unite and vanquish their enemy. So she replayed it in her mind, how they'd gotten down to this: to just Naraku.

InuYasha had used his newly mastered dragon-scaled Tetsusaiga to cut through the now visible youketsu of Naraku's child inside Mouryoumaru. Kagome recalled the days it had taken Kikyou to heal Miroku from all the shouki he had absorbed when he sucked the fuyouheki in with his Kazaana. He was brave and stupid and completely devoted to Sango 'til the end. He'd nearly lost his life, trying to save Sango the pain of watching her little brother die, yet again.

But by a stroke of pure chance, fate as it would seem, Sesshoumaru's ward and child stumbled across their shared camp in the dead of night. Kikyou was still recovering from Naraku's latest attack and so InuYasha stayed close, and attentive. She remembered the way he looked at Kikyou; because that was the way he used to look at _her_. But Kouga watched too and snorted in contempt. She liked him even more then.

Rin and Jaken seemed to be lost, until her tiny chocolate brown eyes came to rest on Kohaku. She skipped and enveloped herself in his arms. Kagome could see the pain in his eyes, because the only thought left in his guilt-ridden mind was of his own death and sacrifice. Eventually, Sesshoumaru came to pry her from the young youkai taiji-ya's arms – to no avail.

In the end, she merely looked up at her great western lord, huge tear-magnified eyes, innocence dripping from her soul and mouth. She asked why Kohaku couldn't come with them. Sesshoumaru huffed. She asked him if he would _fix_ him, like he fixed her. Sesshoumaru was silent. She asked him if he could fix her heart if Kohaku died. Sesshoumaru bowed his head, just a fraction of an inch, and it was clear to see who the victor was.

Kikyou took Kohaku's life, and Sesshoumaru (begrudgingly) restored it. Grace and pain abound, tears, fear and Sango's deafening wail as his body fell at Sesshoumaru's feet. Kagome thought she might have seen him flinch then, just enough that her heart tore at the edges. She remembered how he bellowed in anger when Mouryoumaru said Kagura's death was foolish. She knew long ago, the lurking compassion in his heart, the girl at his side was proof enough of that. Kohaku choked on his first breath as a free soul and wrapped his arms around his sister and the small, fearless girl who fought for him.

So the groups merged together for the last remaining hours before the final battle. It was silent that night, but Kagome could still hear the hearts breaking, hers included, as they all sat and _waited_ for the end to come. It was like waiting for the end of the world, but everyone was still too naïve to admit it, or spend _one night_ with someone they loved. So Kagome sat alone and watched as InuYasha watched Kikyou who just turned her pale face to the sky and followed the stars.

Miroku watched Sango as she held Kohaku in his sleep and Kirara curled at her head. When he seemed to grow weary of that, he opted for staring blankly at his hand for a while. Kagome knew he was close to his limit and shuddered to think what that could mean. She could sense that there was still some of Naraku's shouki left in his body. He turned his blue eyes to meet hers in a single moment of perfect clarity and he nodded and turned back to watching Sango. Kagome knew she wasn't supposed to say anything.

So instead she let her eyes move on and traveled over Shippou who slept curled in Rin's arms while Jaken watched Sesshoumaru as he walked into the forest. There was a moment where she considered following him to thank him for what he'd done for Kohaku. But she knew it wasn't wise, so she just let him vanish into the black shadows of the night. She felt sympathy for his lonely vigil for a woman he had to watch die. But she quickly banished this thought and stored it deep in the vault of her mind and filed it under 'momentary insanity' and promptly blamed InuYasha and his lack of attention for this.

There was a loud shout that reverberated through her mind and her attention was drawn back to the battle taking place. After InuYasha's attack, the seemingly impenetrable armor that protected Mouryoumaru was cracked. That's when Kouga and in his shard-less glory and speed called forth the ancient Goraishi. It was only because of his help that they were able to pierce through Mouryoumaru's armor and force Naraku's child outside. Once the child was exposed, InuYasha broke through its barrier with the red Tetsusaiga.

The bodies of countless demons were sliced and pulled until there was a thick layer of grime that covered the forest floor. Somewhere in the distance, Kagome saw the body of Kikyou who lay, dead, still gripping her bow and painfully empty quiver. A tear slipped down Kagome's cheek as she held the Shikon no Tama and gave a silent thanks to the woman who died for her to get it. As Onigumo's heart was ripped apart, it was Kikyou who purified his polluted soul along with his chunk of the Shikon no Tama at the cost of her own life.

Kagome could still hear the strained, tortured screams from InuYasha as Kikyou's barrier, strengthened by Midoriko's will and Kagome's stolen Shikon no Tama fragments engulfed the nearly defenseless child. InuYasha begged, and pleaded with tears trembling in his eyes for her to find another way. But she was resolved; she had been from the moment her soul was returned. So she said goodbye and did what she'd planned from the beginning. She purified the child, Onigumo's heart, and completed the pure Shikon no Tama.

Without the heart, Hakudoushi was no longer able to regenerate and Sango took the opportunity to charge him, headstrong and stubborn as always. With Kohaku standing in her shadow, she was fierce with burning eyes and blazing determination. She took a hit from his spear, but paid no attention to the blood that ran down her arm. Instead, she fought on and eventually she and Kirara managed to maneuver him into a corner. Kagome could see the _haunted_ look in his eyes as defeat washed over him. Sango's Hiraikotsu killed him as it split him in two, as a mortal. There was no joy in her face though, only a wave of relief to find her little brother safe.

Miroku also pushed his limit as he used his temperamental Kazaana to pull in the remaining demons that were being expelled and controlled by Naraku. Kanna's mirror lay broken, reflecting the look in Miroku's eyes as the small child was sucked into his oblivion. His entire right arm was blackened with the poison of Naraku's saimyoushou and shouki. But as he collapsed under the toxin spreading through his body, Sango and Kohaku were there to hold him up. The poison hadn't spread to his heart though, and Kagome sighed a heavy breath of relief and silently looked to the heavens and prayed for him to hold on just a little bit longer. Soon it would all be over.

_Not long now._

But even as optimistic as Kagome was, she knew that Naraku would continue to fight for the Shikon no Tama. So try as she might, she knew that she would have to be the one to make the wish. Because it was her responsibility, it was her _duty_. Kikyou had laid it at her feet in her last moments and commanded her to protect it. So she would, and if that meant the only way to protect it was to wish it out of existence – then that's exactly what she would do.

"Rin-chan," With her bow clutched in one hand, and Rin's clammy, shaking hand holding stead fast to her clothes, she knew there was no way her heart could make a pure wish here. Kagome turned slightly and spoke quietly to the girl. "… You have to be strong Rin-chan. Sesshoumaru is going to be okay. He's powerful." And Kagome watched with unbridled affinity as her face brightened innumerably at the sound of her master's name. Kagome smiled, thinking of the love this child had for the cold, deadly ruler of the Western Lands.

"Hai, Kagome-nee-chan!" the young girl delighted beamed up at her protector in the bloody moonlight. Kagome had a sickening feeling, deep in the center of her stomach, knowing that she would one day have to leave behind her _Sesshoumaru-sama_, just as she knew that she and InuYasha couldn't be together.

"Rin-chan, take this." She handed her the quiver and bow, teeming with spiritual energy. "If anything comes near you, just be strong, and have faith in Sesshoumaru and the light will protect you. Okay?" she didn't have time to check to see if the little girl nodded, but she had an odd feeling that she was much older than she seemed. Because she was strong, and proud, and so loyal it made her heart ache.

_Please._

Her one, resounding plea to the night sky as her feet carried her unarmed body directly behind InuYasha and Sesshoumaru. She watched his flowing silver hair and the twitch of his ears as the demon goo flicked from his head. She grinned, happy and heartbreakingly devastated. She spotted the body of her incarnation laying some distance to the right and gave one resounding sigh that echoed from the depths of her soul.

_Forgive me, InuYasha._

There was the nauseating sound of a child's scream. Kagome turned just in time to see the small frame as it engulfed her own, familiar, crisp light purifying a demon. She held an arrow in two tiny hands above her head. It was only a second before she was flanked by Jaken, who wore a particularly protective expression, and the fiercest looking Shippou she'd ever seen. Jaken's staff of three heads burst forth flames that exploded the youkai who approached, while Shippou's Kitsune Youjutsu exploded into a ball of flames, to protect the small child.

Her heart lightened, and Kagome knew then that she had just enough purity in her heart to make the wish. Even though Naraku had tried to corrupt her heart and defile her soul, she knew that she was still capable of loving all of these warriors enough to make one wish. She took a quick glance around and was humbled in the presence of all the precious people she wished to protect.

_Thank you, everyone._

She held the pure Shikon no Tama to her chest and clutched it urgently to her heart. Her eyes closed and she cleared her mind. She controlled her breathing, until the only thing she was aware of was the wind on her face and the smell of coming rain in the distance. She watched on as all sound faded away, and she was left with the sound of crickets and her own heartbeat. She knew what she had to do. So she made an unselfish wish that would surely destroy the last fragmented pieces of her heart.

_Grant InuYasha the wish we would have made 55 years ago._

Then, the world that Kagome knew, the sensations of wind and the smell of rain passed away. The light that came from her fisted hand was blinding, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. So the image of an ancient miko's shaded silhouette against the pure white light was seared into her mind. She could feel the phantom hands of her predecessor pass through her body and explore her heart.

_Very well, I will grant the wish that was deep within the hanyou's heart. Thank you for freeing me,_ _Kagome._

Then the light was gone, and she watched in slow motion as InuYasha turned, wide-eyed and mouth ajar. She held the empty jewel in her hands and let the tear slide down her face. The body that lay in the distance stirred, and Kagome's heart plummeted. Even if it had been her wish, it was his will and Kagome was humbled in the presence of such love.

But as she watched on, his ears were beginning to fade and his silver hair was slowly inking from the ends up a deep, rich black. _Ningen_. This was what his heart truly wanted, what he'd waited over 50 years to have. He wanted her, and his humanity. But he seemed oblivious to his own change as his feet took a step towards his fallen miko, revived by the will in his heart.

In the confusion of the light, Kikyou's resurrection, and InuYasha's transformation, Naraku seemed to have faded. But he was waiting, seething with hate for the wish she'd stolen and the jewel she'd obliterated. He fired a huge diamond-like spear from his body, and Kagome was moving before it left his flesh. Because it was aimed for InuYasha and the un-transformed Tetsusaiga that he still clutched while he and Kikyou locked eyes.

Kagome didn't think about what was going through their minds. She wouldn't let Naraku, or her wish destroy the victory that was so close. There was no more jewel, or heart, or hanyou. All that was left was the vacant vessel of a mortal concoction of various youkai bodies and a newly human, defenseless man that she couldn't stop herself from loving.

* * *

The spear was hot. Kagome wondered if it would leave a burn mark, then she choked on her own blood and smiled because she knew she was being irrational. But that didn't really matter, not anymore. She felt the blood drip from her hands and the hole through her heart. She couldn't hear InuYasha scream her name, but she imagined he loved her then so she could die happily.

Kagome saw Sesshoumaru narrow his stance and blur against the dark foliage and moonlight. His golden eyes swept over her crimson stained face and she suddenly felt the pain. White-hot, and shattering. Her toes curled and her fingers shook. It was a pain like she'd never known could exist. She was burning from the inside and falling apart on the outside. Pieces of her flesh were ripped away, and she was torn like she'd felt for years now. Naraku finally broke her.

As Sesshoumaru's Meidou Zangetsuha turned full circle and pulled Naraku though. Kagome cried out from pain and joy, and relief. She could feel the diamond splinters in her bones and puncture her organs. She could feel the blackness creeping in from the edges of her vision. She was scared.

She spotted Sesshoumaru through the haze and her eyes locked onto his shimmering blade. The sword that could resurrect her, as it had already done for so many others. But she knew her sacrifice would be meaningless then. And she would become the undead miko, in the wrong time, holding InuYasha back. She would become Kikyou.

Kagome wished for InuYasha's happiness and she knew he would never allow himself to love Kikyou as he should if Kagome were a living reminder of the price he'd paid. No, she couldn't do that to him. As she turned her head painfully to glance past InuYasha's contorted face to Sesshoumaru's eyes.

_Please, Sesshoumaru, let me die._ Her last thought, last plea was for peace. She stretched out her hand, willing him to hear her thoughts. _Please, please don't revive me. Let me pass away._

She knew she was unprepared for a life that followed. But she remembered Midoriko's warm spirit-hands on her heart and she wasn't afraid anymore. She didn't know why, but she just knew that the light in the distance was welcoming. It was calling her home.

And so she went. Still begging Sesshoumaru for the death she earned with sweat and blood. She loved InuYasha still, for being the kind of man she could die for and not regret. She felt her body fall away as she drifted up. The pain was gone now.

_Goodbye Mama, Sota, Jii-san. Live on Sango-chan, Mirok-sama, Kohaku-kun. Be happy Kouga-kun, Ayame-chan. Grow strong Shippou-chan, Kohaku-kun and Rin-chan, take care of Jaken. Love InuYasha, Kikyou. Let me go Sesshoumaru, let me die._

The light was warm and soft, like a velvet blanket that dried in the summer sun. Kagome smiled and spread her wings as she tumbled up through the sky.

* * *

The End.

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* * *

So, that's the end. Sorry. I know it's not finished, but it's been so long now, I know I won't ever finish this. If you're interested in my headcanon, then read on for the summary of what this fic was going to be:

_Sesshoumaru revived her, and Kagome was disoriented and distant with everyone. She was in heaven, and he pulled her out of there (kinda like Buffy). Then she was going to go home, for good, because she didn't belong in the past anymore. But the well spit her out in the future, 15 years from her time. Her family thought she was dead. She was mourned and buried and she no longer has a place in either world._

_So she tried to go back through the well only to come out 100 years after Naraku was defeated. InuYasha and all her friends are long dead. She encounters Sesshoumaru and confronts him for bringing her back. She's lost and alone and doesn't fit in anywhere at any time anymore. She's mad at him for taking her from peace and bringing her back to a world where she doesn't belong._

_He apologizes, because he realizes what he's done is unforgivable. He was selfish when he granted his brother's wish. Where she was selfless and gave everything for others, he only thought about his own discomfort. He takes her back to the well and they part, with him feeling like he has stolen something precious from her. He feels ashamed and indebted to her._

_She emerges from the well 60 years ahead of her time. And she gives up. Sota is an old man and lives at the shine. Kagome tells him he has to seal the well. Sota saved her inheritance all those years for her, because he always knew someday she would come back. He gives her the money and she leaves. She can't stand to be in the city, near the shrine anymore._

_She moves into the mountains, and lives alone in a small farming town. She has more than enough money (compounding, ya'll) to live in peace._

_That's where Sesshoumaru finds her, living alone in the future. He knew when she came back immediately. 45 years ago when she came back from the battle, Tenseiga began pulsing. Then it stopped, only to return again almost a year ago. He spent his time traveling, trying to find her. He knew that she would be out of time and he considered it his duty to help her, since he was responsible for her misfortune. Tenseiga can sense her because it brought her back from the dead._

_She can sense his yoki before he makes it to the door. She greets him with a spiritual arrow-tip to the throat. She doesn't recognize him. He explains that he has control over his physical form and has adjusted his look over the centuries, to blend in._

_They live together and he teachers her about her world. They start a sexual relationship that's fraught with sadness and desperation. Until she finds the reincarnation of InuYasha. Finally, she and he exist in the same time, with each other. Just as she was Kikyou's reincarnation, they are meant for each other. And eventually Kagome leaves Sesshoumaru to be with the reincarnation of InuYasha, leaving Sesshoumaru heartbroken and alone._

The end.


End file.
